Students filed into the great hall one after the other. In pairs and groups, witches giggling and gossiping and the young wizards talking about their summers to one another and rolling eyes at the giggling girls. It was a sight to behold as they all took seats at their respective tables greeting one another.

Albus sat like a king in his overdone chair which was dead center at the staff table up on the platform. He watched the students flow in with his grandfatherly face and twinkling blue eyes that welcomed them in. Behind his mask was a face of worry and maybe irritation. The sorting over the summer had not gone as planned. Harry had not responded to him once and had not stayed out at his aunt and uncle's house. Molly had been popping in on him every ten seconds about the boy and about their arrangement and the order members were not much better.

As the last few students trickled in Albus rose to his feet to give his yearly Welcome Back speech. He had spotted the two students he most wanted to speak with but he knew that would have to wait. Lines needed to be drawn and rules enforced with those two before they got any further out of line. He also needed to have a talk with Severus about his new fifth year. For now, his speech.

Albus spread his arms wide in a welcome gesture and in a signal for silence. "Welcome back to you all, for another year here at Hogwarts. I hope all of your summer's were exciting and you had a good long break from the classrooms and exams."

He paused here to smile down at them all before continuing on. "I would like to remind you all to that the forbidden forest is actually forbidden. There are many dangerous creatures in there so I must impress upon all of you not to go wandering into it.

I am sure this year will be another exciting one. Even with dark forces moving, here at Hogwarts we will always offer safety and sanctuary. Under my reign you will be safe."

His eyes raked over every student in the hall as he held their attention and then they met a pair of emerald eyes for a moment, followed by a pair of violet. Albus was sure they would understand his message. He clapped his hands once, rubbing them together. "Now. Let's eat!"

With those words the food the house elves prepared suddenly appeared and every type of dinner dish was served for the feast. Albus watched them all dig in and then took his own seat again watching and waiting.

Parker had relunctantly left Ryleigh but wasn't ready to leave behind his other friend Jae. He tried to make sure that since he had to ride in the accident waiting to happen boats, it was with someone he knew. Of course Parker had squeezed his eyes shut and asked the girl to let him know when they were there. Of course someone else in their boat had to talk about some giant squid or octopus. Clasping his hands tight, the boy whispered almost like a prayer, "I've never eaten fish or tried to catch them so please don't kill me fishy gods."

Then they were marched into the great hall for everyone to stare at them! Ducking his head as he shuffled with the others, Parker watched as a singing hat sorted them! When it was his turn he was happy he didn't fall right off the stool! Glad that he'd been put in the same house as Jae but sad that it wasn't Ryleigh's he waved at her as he joined the yellow and black table.

When the headmaster got up, Parker's eyes went huge. They had a dangerous forest? And everything said made the boy squeak and swear he would camp out in the man's office if he had to. He liked fun and games and adventure but the man made it sound really bad. Giving a wan smile to the person nearest him it turned into a gasp of surprise. The foid magically appeared! The blond looked under the table and didn't see how else it could have gotten there. "Woah."

"Amazing isn't it?" Holly asked almost rhetorically to the boy sitting next to her. She recognized him from her trip to diagon alley this summer as they little boy in the apothecary. The blonde gave him a big smile remembering how she had first reacted to every little magical thing that happened around her when coming to Hogwarts. She had kept an eye on him during the sorting and Holly always paid attention to the sorting because it was one of her favorite things at Hogwarts. It was nice to see new young wizards and witches every year and she cheered loudly when each new Hufflepuff was declared.

"You did great. During my sorting I was so nervous I tripped on my way up." She revealed secretively while piling food on to her plate. Holly enjoyed making the younger students feel more comfortable and helping them transition easier. She didn't have any siblings of her own so it filled a hole she felt she had somewhere inside.

Jaeden wasn't happy to have to leave her new friend Ryleigh and travel separately from the older girl but there was nothing for it. That was just the way things went apparently. Luckily though, she still had Parker. He was a bit of an oddball bit that worked for Jaeden who wasn't exactly anyone's definition of normal. That worked for her too.

She rode in the same boat as him but while he seemed to have his eyes closed most of the time Jaeden couldn't keep hers open wide enough. How many people got to ride a boat to school! She couldn't wait to write this in a letter to her family! When some of the other kids began mentioning a giant squid and such Jaeden actually leaned over the side of their boat to get a better glimpse but it was dark out now and all she saw was her own reflection. A bit of a let down if you asked her. She could see herself any old time.

It wasn't long before they were marching in through the entrance hall and then being led before all the other older students. It was rather nerve wracking and the young girl stumbled a few times on her way. Her brown eyes widened and she felt her jaw drop when the hat actually began to sing. Sing! They had a singing hat! She wanted one too! She had to remember to ask Ryleigh where she could get her hands on one. She silently thanked whatever god there was that her last name began with a C because the sorting took place in alphabetical order.

When it was her turn Jaeden was so nervous she did a spectacular trip up the steps on her way to sit on the stool to the tune of many laughs. She shrugged it off like a champ. Jaeden didn't mind people laughing at her so much when it was something she would laugh at herself. When the hat sorted her Jaeden wasn't at all happy about not being placed in the same house Ryleigh and she sulked on her way to the Hufflepuff table even as they cheered for her. Call it childish but she was a child and that was excuse enough for her.

Jaeden perked up, though, when Parker was sorted into the same house as she was and she cheered loudly for him, grinning from ear to ear as he came to sit down at the same table. She listened to the headmaster with rapt attention, her eyes lighting up at this idea of what magical creatures could be in the forest, the fact it was forbidden and that they were dangerous creatures almost forgotten. The young witch gave a small startled cry when the food suddenly appeared out of no where but her face lit up like a Christmas tree at the demonstration of magic. To just think that soon she might be able to do something like that! "Wow! Cool!"

It was only when she was faced with what to eat first that Jaeden tuned into the conversations happening around her and she focused on the older girl speaking to Parker. "Did you really?" She asked questioningly with a drumstick halfway to her mouth.